Tyler, Tex.—When Catherine Butschi learned of the recent flooding in her former home town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the teen decided to help out. She was going to travel up there with her family to visit relatives, so she launched a drive to fill their mini-van with food and clothing for the victims of the floods.
She put up flyers around her current town of Tyler, Texas, asking people to contribute whatever they could. Her enthusiasm and determination were contagious, though. The people of Tyler donated enough supplies to fill two semi-trailer trucks.
The trucks, contributed by the CRST and Saia corporations, arrived in Cedar Rapids recently, and the clothing, food, and cleaning supplies in them were donated to the Boys and Girls Club, which set up a shelter for families displaced by the flooding.
For her energy and enthusiasm in bringing much-needed supplies to the people of Cedar Rapids, this week’s TeenUp Award goes to Catherine Butschi.
The TeenUp Awards are directed by Michael Robert Evans, author of the young-adult novel 68 Knots. The TeenUp Award is given each week to an American teenager who has taken the initiative to make a positive difference in the world.
The award is also announced each week in a YouTube video:
For more information, contact Michael Robert Evans, michaelrobertevans@yahoo.com
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Austin Teen is SpokesGirl for Abused Children
Megan Bentzin is devoted to children.
The Austin, Tex., teenager is a regular fixture at the Helping Hand Home, a facility for abused and neglected children. She reads to the children there, she participates in fundraisers, and she helps out any way she can.
Now Bentzin is pedaling across the United States to benefit Helping Hand Home as well. She is taking part in a program called The American Challenge, in which fifteen high school students are biking coast-to-coast. Bentzin is using her trip as a way to raise funds for Helping Hand Home.
The 3,000-mile trip began in Savannah, Ga., where Bentzin and the others dipped their bike wheels in the waters of the Atlantic. It will end six weeks later when they plunge screaming into the Pacific near Santa Monica, Calif. There is no support vehicle; everyone carries all their gear. And they have to work together through illness, injuries, equipment problems, and other challenges.
For her dedication and determination—and for turning an exciting adventure into a fundraising opportunity for a cause she believes in—Bentzin is the winner of this week’s TeenUp Award.
The TeenUp Awards are directed by Michael Robert Evans, author of the young-adult novel 68 Knots. The TeenUp Award is given each week to an American teenager who has taken the initiative to make a positive difference in the world.
The award is also announced each week in a YouTube video:
For more information, contact Michael Robert Evans, michaelrobertevans@yahoo.com
The Austin, Tex., teenager is a regular fixture at the Helping Hand Home, a facility for abused and neglected children. She reads to the children there, she participates in fundraisers, and she helps out any way she can.
Now Bentzin is pedaling across the United States to benefit Helping Hand Home as well. She is taking part in a program called The American Challenge, in which fifteen high school students are biking coast-to-coast. Bentzin is using her trip as a way to raise funds for Helping Hand Home.
The 3,000-mile trip began in Savannah, Ga., where Bentzin and the others dipped their bike wheels in the waters of the Atlantic. It will end six weeks later when they plunge screaming into the Pacific near Santa Monica, Calif. There is no support vehicle; everyone carries all their gear. And they have to work together through illness, injuries, equipment problems, and other challenges.
For her dedication and determination—and for turning an exciting adventure into a fundraising opportunity for a cause she believes in—Bentzin is the winner of this week’s TeenUp Award.
The TeenUp Awards are directed by Michael Robert Evans, author of the young-adult novel 68 Knots. The TeenUp Award is given each week to an American teenager who has taken the initiative to make a positive difference in the world.
The award is also announced each week in a YouTube video:
For more information, contact Michael Robert Evans, michaelrobertevans@yahoo.com
Monday, June 23, 2008
TeenUp Award: Making Half-Pipe Dream Come True
Ridgefield, Conn. — Skateboarding is fun, but it’s also expensive. Buying the board, the helmet, the knee pads, the elbow pads, and other gear can put the sport out of reach for some young people who might benefit from the social activity and exercise that skateboarding offers.
So Mitchel Fields, a thirteen-year-old from Ridgefield, Conn., decided to do something to help broaden access to the sport. He contacted skateboard companies throughout the country, asking them to donate gear that he would present to the Graham Dickinson S.P.I.R.I.T. Skate Park in his home town.
The project was daunting at first. Fields was nervous about contacting corporate CEOs and asking for donations. He worked with his father to develop scripts, and he rehearsed each phone call. He found that the people he spoke with were pleasant and impressed by his concern for others.
And his efforts paid off. Three skateboard companies—Sector9, Bareback Skateboards, and Skate One—agreed to contribute hundreds of dollars’ worth of equipment. Fields gave the gear to the park during an event held there on June 21.
The Graham Dickinson S.P.I.R.I.T. Skate Park offers free admission to people who can’t afford to skate there, but the cost of equipment still kept some potential skaters away. Thanks to the initiative and effort of Mitchel Fields, anyone can borrow the gear while they are at the park.
For his generosity and enthusiasm in broadening access to a sport he loves, Fields is the winner of this week’s TeenUp Award.
The TeenUp Awards are directed by Michael Robert Evans, author of the young-adult novel 68 Knots. The TeenUp Award is given each week to an American teenager who has taken the initiative to make a positive difference in the world.
Information about the award is available at teenupawards.blogspot.com. The award is also announced each week in a YouTube video:
For more information, contact Michael Robert Evans, michaelrobertevans@yahoo.com
So Mitchel Fields, a thirteen-year-old from Ridgefield, Conn., decided to do something to help broaden access to the sport. He contacted skateboard companies throughout the country, asking them to donate gear that he would present to the Graham Dickinson S.P.I.R.I.T. Skate Park in his home town.
The project was daunting at first. Fields was nervous about contacting corporate CEOs and asking for donations. He worked with his father to develop scripts, and he rehearsed each phone call. He found that the people he spoke with were pleasant and impressed by his concern for others.
And his efforts paid off. Three skateboard companies—Sector9, Bareback Skateboards, and Skate One—agreed to contribute hundreds of dollars’ worth of equipment. Fields gave the gear to the park during an event held there on June 21.
The Graham Dickinson S.P.I.R.I.T. Skate Park offers free admission to people who can’t afford to skate there, but the cost of equipment still kept some potential skaters away. Thanks to the initiative and effort of Mitchel Fields, anyone can borrow the gear while they are at the park.
For his generosity and enthusiasm in broadening access to a sport he loves, Fields is the winner of this week’s TeenUp Award.
The TeenUp Awards are directed by Michael Robert Evans, author of the young-adult novel 68 Knots. The TeenUp Award is given each week to an American teenager who has taken the initiative to make a positive difference in the world.
Information about the award is available at teenupawards.blogspot.com. The award is also announced each week in a YouTube video:
For more information, contact Michael Robert Evans, michaelrobertevans@yahoo.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)